Ballesteros, Shaw, and Verdugo all Homer, Kipp Lights Out in Cubs 9-1 Win

EASTLAKE, OH - What a night at Classic Auto Group Park.

Moises Ballesteros launched a towering round-tripper to left-center as the 19-year-old climbed his average back over .300 with South Bend. Matt Shaw crushed his first homer in High-A, a screaming liner down the line in right that scored two. Luis Verdugo rocketed a three-run blast to left for his second homer since the All-Star Break and first since his grand slam in Quad Cities.

All of that happened in one inning!

South Bend came up to bat leading 1-0 in the fifth and then tied their season high for homers in a game with three, and needed one inning to do it.

Ethan Hankins came in with a 0-6 record and a 7.61 ERA, he got the start for Lake County and the former first round pick performed admirably, tossing four innings and allowing just one run. Shaw smoked a triple off the wall down the line in right field and the Cubs took the lead after Ballesteros singled with two outs in the first inning. Ballesteros then swiped second base and picked up his second career stolen base, both occurring in the past week.

Then came the electric fifth inning. Juan Zapata entered out of the bullpen and got lit up like a cornfield on the Fourth of July. Yohendrick Pinango and Ed Howard began the inning with back-to-back singles. That set the table for the first of the three bombs, Verdugo's big fly that gave the Cubs a 4-0 lead. Ezequiel Pagan was next and the Cubs leadoff hitter pounded a single to right. Shaw followed with nearly a carbon copy swing to his triple, but this time the ball cleared the wall for a two-run shot. After finally getting an out, Zapata gave up another homer, this one to Ballesteros. Zapata finished with a line of 0.2 IP, 7 H, 6

ER, 3 HR.

Seven of the nine starters in the lineup for South Bend reached base at least twice on a night where seemingly everything went incredibly well offensively.

Meanwhile, somehow we're this deep in and I haven't mentioned Grant Kipp. Making his High-A debut after a promotion earlier this week, it was Kipp who really stole the show early. The right-hander from Yale was untouchable early, retiring the first eight batters he faced with six strikeouts. The first two baserunners he allowed came with two outs in the third inning and both reached via Cubs errors, one on Felix Stevens on a missed grounder at first and one on a catcher's interference from Ballesteros. Lake County got their first hit with one out in the fourth, a liner to center from Jorge Burgos. Their only other hit off the 6-foot-6 righty was a bunt single from Yordys Valdez.

Kipp stranded two baserunners in the fourth inning and then came out for the fifth and issued two walks. He hadn't walked any prior on the night and he had a chance to complete the fifth and get in line for the win before that second walk, which brought his pitch count to 88 and caused Lance Rymel to go to the bullpen. Yovanny Cruz gave up a single off the wall in right to Dayan Frias to plate a run and that'd be the only run allowed on the night, which went on Kipp's final line. Grant tied a career high with eight strikeouts.

Just for good measure South Bend plated two more runs late. Verdugo nearly destroyed another home run ball but it hit the wall in right for a double with one out in the eighth. After Pagan walked, Shaw ripped a, RBI single to put him just a double shy of the cycle. With men at the corners the last run of the night came home on a Triantos sac-sly to center.

On a night when everything went so tremendously, it was a beautiful sight to see Derek Casey make his return to South Bend after over two years. The right-hander from Virginia had his parents in attendance as he picked up the win with a perfect seventh and eighth inning, striking out three along the way. Casey was sensational as a starter in 2021 and has a ring with the 2019 South Bend Cubs. After having his second Tommy John surgery, Casey is back on the mound and looked like a man in midseason form already.

Dilan Granadillo also got his first at-bat of the season, as the Cubs catching prospect smacked a grounder up the middle but it was snagged by Sergio Morillo who turned a 1-6-3 double play.

South Bend looks to even the series with a win on Friday night, first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m.